{"id":26913,"date":"2026-08-04T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=26913"},"modified":"2026-08-03T10:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T17:05:00","slug":"maximum-impact-3-ways-to-make-the-most-of-supplemental-content-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2026\/maximum-impact-3-ways-to-make-the-most-of-supplemental-content-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Maximum impact: 3 ways to make the most of supplemental content"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"In my previous post<\/a>, I dug into some of the reasons teachers turn to online supplemental content and discussed tips for selecting appropriate online supplemental products. In this post, I want to look at how to maximize student learning when using supplemental online content, particularly when there is less direct support from the teacher.<\/p>\n

When referring to\u00a0supplemental online content\u00a0I am talking about products\u00a0like\u00a0one of NWEA\u2019s Instructional Connections<\/a>\u00a0partners\u00a0that help\u00a0students either explore content based on their own interests, follow a learning path, work on content assigned by their teacher,\u00a0or some combination of those\u00a0options.\u00a0Such offerings\u00a0are often\u00a0used as\u00a0learning center or\u00a0computer lab activities to allow teachers time to\u00a0work\u00a0with\u00a0individual\u00a0students\u00a0or small\u00a0groups.<\/p>\n

While a high-quality program should be easy to use for both teachers and students, ease of use shouldn\u2019t suggest a hands-off approach. By applying the same effective teaching strategies that you already use in your core instruction, you can ensure your students get the most out of their time in these programs.<\/p>\n

Connection and coherence are key<\/h2>\n

The concept of schema<\/a> is well known in education. At its simplest, schema describes how the brain organizes knowledge into connected ideas.<\/p>\n

There is extensive research<\/a> that supports the importance of building connections between new ideas and previously learned ones. In an article highlighting teaching strategies<\/a> supported by cognitive science research and observations of master teachers, Barak Rosenshine stated that, \u201cWhen one\u2019s knowledge on a particular topic is large and well connected, it is easier to learn new information and prior knowledge is more readily available for use.\u201d The more robust a set of connections is, the less you need to rely on working memory, which in turn allows you to use working memory to both process new information and apply it to solve problems. The 2018 publication How People Learn II<\/em><\/a> states it simply: \u201cFacts that are placed into a rich structure are easier to remember than isolated or disconnected ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

One way to promote\u00a0connected learning is\u00a0through\u00a0ensuring\u00a0coherence\u00a0across a student\u2019s learning experience. In March of this year, TNTP\u00a0published their report\u00a0Coherence by Design: Building Instructional Systems That Help Students Catch Up<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0The report highlights how coherent systems\u00a0better support students performing below grade level.<\/p>\n

But what is a coherent system? TNTP describes it as a\u00a0system where\u00a0instruction, content, and goals\u00a0are\u00a0aligned\u00a0\u201cacross all learning spaces\u2014from core instruction to intervention and other academic supports\u2014to ensure that all students engage in and are actively prepared for grade-level learning.\u201d\u00a0They note that in many schools, help for such students\u00a0is\u00a0not built to connect directly to grade-level learning and state that \u201cAs a result, these supports often pull students further away from the instruction they need\u00a0most.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the report, TNTP explicitly highlights\u00a0that digital learning platforms\u00a0designed to support a student\u00a0performing below grade-level expectations\u00a0frequently\u00a0present\u00a0\u201cisolated skills that are disconnected from their grade-level learning.\u00a0On paper, this student receives hours of additional support each week. In practice, little of that time reinforces their core learning or addresses their specific grade-level gaps. Instead, their school day feels less like a coherent learning trajectory and more like a maze of disconnected experiences\u2026. By the end of the week, this student has\u00a0been exposed to a patchwork of topics and instructional approaches within the same subject and is left to make sense of those inconsistencies on their own. As a result, learning slows and gaps persist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating\u00a0connection and coherence<\/h2>\n

So how can you ensure that students have a coherent learning experience when it comes to supplemental digital learning?\u00a0You likely\u00a0already\u00a0support\u00a0connected understanding\u00a0and coherence within\u00a0your core teaching practices. You\u00a0support connection\u00a0when you\u00a0revisit the idea of repeated addition before introducing the concept of multiplication. You create a coherent learning experience when you\u00a0have students read\u00a0\u201cThe Things They Carried\u201d\u00a0in English\u00a0class\u00a0while\u00a0they are\u00a0studying the Vietnam War in\u00a0social studies.\u00a0By applying the same effective teaching strategies that you already use in your core instruction, you can ensure your students get\u00a0a\u00a0connected,\u00a0coherent learning experience when using digital learning tools.<\/p>\n

While most products are designed to save teachers time by placing students on pre-determined learning pathways, most also allow teachers to override this path, reorder it, or assign specific content.\u00a0So,\u00a0while the product may provide information on what content students would benefit from learning or reviewing, you can ensure the sequence of learning aligns to your\u00a0core\u00a0scope and\u00a0sequence.<\/p>\n

When starting a new unit of study, pause to\u00a0see what students are currently working on during their supplemental learning time\u00a0and ask the following questions:<\/p>\n